1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garments for protecting clothing worn by a person. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lightweight, launderable beautician's cape for use during the processing of hair.
2. The Prior Art
During the processing of hair, which includes washing, coloring, and perming, beauticians routinely use towels tucked into the neckline of the customer's clothing to absorb excess liquid dripping down the customer's neck. Sometimes the liquid penetrates the towel to wet and stain the clothing and/or irritate the customer's skin. Most beauticians recommend that their customers who are having their hair permed or colored either wear old clothes or change into a smock to prevent clothing damage from the chemicals used in hair coloring and perming. The smocks are made from a variety of materials, such as fine denier fabrics woven from nylon or cotton/polyester blends, which absorb liquid to a certain extent. Many customers, however, prefer not to change into smocks since they are not always washed after every use. It is also inconvenient to have to carry along a change of clothing to the beauty parlor.
It would therefore be desirable to have a beautician's garment that replaces the use of towels while simultaneously protecting the customer's clothing and skin against chemicals during hair processing. It would be an added advantage for this garment to be re-usable rather than disposable, and thus, to substantially retain its shape and function after laundering. The present invention achieves all of these objectives in a garment which is also lightweight and comfortable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,116 to Meeker teaches a method of making towel bibs with absorbent material. The bibs are made with a protective flap bordering the rectangular neck opening. The protective flap is tucked beneath the clothing of the wearer, in contact with the skin of the wearer, to hold the towel bib in place and to protect the inside of the clothing from moisture dripping down the neck, while the main body of the towel bib covers and protects the outside of the clothing. These bibs are comparable to the towels currently used by beauticians and therefore suffer from the same deficiencies, i.e., the liquid can still penetrate the absorbent, towel material to wet and stain the clothing and/or irritate the wearer's skin. Furthermore, little or no protection is afforded the back or shoulders of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,710 to Rizzuto teaches a disposable bib comprising a sheet-like substrate formed from a first liquid absorbent layer and a second nonabsorbent layer. The absorbent layer faces away from the user while the nonabsorbent layer faces the user to keep the user dry. In one embodiment (FIGS. 1-3) the only protection afforded the back or shoulders of the wearer is the neck tying portion; in the other embodiment where the bib is pulled on overhead, there is no provision for pulling the bib snugly around the neck of the wearer to prevent liquid entering under the bib. Neither embodiment protects the inside of the clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 340,795 to Matthews shows a multifitting protective hairdressing shield. Advertising literature for this shield indicates it is made of rubber, which is heavy and nonabsorbent, and depicts its use over a smock or cape, which suffers from the disadvantages previously set forth. Furthermore, the shield is not adaptable for use with certain clothing necklines, for example, turtlenecks.
The protective garment of the present invention overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art.